Tank-car construction.



KENNIOOTT.

TANK OAR CONSTRUCTION. AgrfiloATlon FILED MAR.15, 1912.

Patented Sept. 16, 1913.

Wzeaaea COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO-,WI\SHINDTON. n c.

CASS ,L. KENNIGOTT, OF CHICAGO Gil-ITS,

anizrnors, nssrcavon To run ain-nnztcorr column-y, or cnrcnco, ntnnvors, A coaronerron or rnmivois.

TANK-CR B CQNSELRUCTII'OEN.

Specification of ;Letters Patent.

'PatenteclSeptilti, 191?,

Application filedlllarch 15, 1912. Serial No. 683,950.

1 "0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Cass L. Knnnicor'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ghicago Heights, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tank-Car Constructions, of which the following is a speclfication.

My invention relates to railway cars and ms particular reference to a novel mountlng for a tank car.

In the construction of tank cars it is common practice to mount the same on an underframe, the tank being directly supported by saddles forming a part of or attached to the body bolster of the truck. The tank superposed on the underframe in such manner must be prevented from endwlse movement and this is usually sought to be accomplished by the provision of wooden head blocks, one at each end of the car, the blocks abutting against the end plate of the tank. In this manner the shocks of pulling and bufiing are transferred to the tank through the end plates and for this reason the plates must be made heavier than would otherwise be necessary and must furthermore be double-riveted to the bottom and side plates. Furthermore, it has been found in practice that when tanks are filled with hot liquids, as is common, such as lards, etc., the heat causes considerable endwise expansion of the tank-in fact at times the expansion is sufficient to strain and lightly displace the wooden head blocks. When the tank is in service and the contents become coo-l the metal forming the tank will contract, thus leaving a slight space between the ends of the tank and the head blocks. The shifting of the load, added to the constant shocks in both longitudinal directions, causes the car to be forced against the head blocks and to act as a battering ram, thus quickly destroying the blocks and making their renewal necessary. I am aware that other constructions have been devised wherein the head blocks are eliminated, such constructions involving cooperating parts afiixed to the tank and underframe but to each of these some objections may be urged.

In the present invention a construct-ion is shown which is extremely simple and approximates the ideal in operation; the tank is prevented from shifting on the underframe, and the means for preventing such stood by reference to the .shown, that is,

shifting also serve to support and distribute the load on the center sill. The particular objects sought and attained will be more particularly pointed out hereinafter.

invention will be more readily underaccompanying drawings, wherein,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tank car constructed in accordance with my invention, and, Figs. 2 and 3 are fragmentary enlarged sections on the line 2-2 and 3-3 respectively of Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawings it will be seen that on trucks of preferred construction I mount an underframe composed preferabl T of channel center sills 10, saddle body-bolsters 11, and intermediate supports and stops 12. These stops 12, as best shown in Fig, 3, are curved on their upper surface, to correspond to the contour of the bottom plate 13 of a tank, the stop serving also to tie together the channel center sills at points between the body bolsters.

To the bottom plate 13 at the proper locations I secure downwardly projecting lugs 14 of substantial construction, these lugs being located in order that they may cooperate with the outside edges of each of the supports or stops 12, and, under normal conditions fit snugly thereagainst. By the term normal conditions I refer to the condi tion of the tank under normal atmospheric temperature. It may be objected that when a hot liquid is placed in the tank the bottom plate will expand, thus separating the lugs 14 from the stops 12. However, the space in which expansion is effective is only about a third of the length of the car and such expansion will be inconsiderable. Furthermore, it will be understood that such abnormal conditions occur only when the car is idle and that as soon as the car is on the road the contents of the tank will have become cool and the lugs and stops again brought into contact. Thus it will be seen that the fancied objection is not real. It is important that the lugs be placed as outside of the stops. If placed between the stops the lugs must be normally out of engagement therewith, thus permitting shifting of the tank, or, if placed tight, they will be displaced and broken when expansion takes place under abnormal conditions.

It is apparent that certain modifications may be made, but such modifications as are Within the scope of the appended claim I consider to be within my invention.

I claim In a tank car, the combination of underframing having end saddles and a pair of intermediate stops, said stops being positioned a substantially equal distance between said saddles and each other, a tank rested 10 on said saddles, lugs on said tank, said lugs being positioned to sides of said stops and to be in contact therewith at the normal temperature of said tank, said lugs being separated from said stops during abnormal expansion of said tank, substantially as described.

CASS L. KENNICOTT.

WVitnesses:

G. B. BLAIR, R. S. ELLIS.

' Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

cooperate With the out 

